Six members of the Group of Seven resting peacefully by slabs of granite quarried from the “artists’ beloved north country”
As I passed through the stone gates of the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario, paintbrush in hand, I followed a well-kept, tree-lined walkway for several minutes until I reached the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Burial Grounds—known to many as the Group of Seven Cemetery. Here lie six members of the Group of Seven and their spouses.
The stones marking their graves were sourced from Canada’s northern regions, the same rugged terrain that shaped the painters’ vision. Canadian sculptor E. B. Cox was entrusted with carving each slab to reflect the work and spirit of its artist; Lawren Harris’s triangular marker, for instance, reflects the jutting forms of his Arctic paintings.
The granite itself was salvaged from rock blasted during northern road-building projects. Robert and Signe McMichael, founders of the gallery, arranged for these stones to be brought here—a fitting tribute.
- A. J. Casson: The youngest member of the Group, Casson is buried with his wife, Margaret.
- Lawren Harris: A founding member, Harris is buried with his second wife, Bess Housser.
- A. Y. Jackson: One of the founding members, Jackson never married and is buried alone.
- Frank Johnston: An original member who later left the Group, Johnston is buried with his wife, Florence Jamieson.
- Arthur Lismer: A founding member, Lismer is buried with his wife, Esther Mawson.
- Frederick Varley: A founding member, Varley is buried with his wife, Maud Pinder.
MARCH 20, 1970: A.Y. Jackson places pine boughs on the caskets of Lawren Harris and his wife, Bess, during a memorial service outside the McMichael gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario. A.Y. Jackson was the last survivor of the group.
Two members of the Group of Seven not buried at McMichael, J.E.H. MacDonald (Prospect Cemetery, Toronto) and Franklin Carmichael (Saint Andrews and Saint James Cemetery, Orillia and very close to singer/songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot’s grave). I visited both over the past year and profiled in Famousgravetours.com
See my related visits to the two members not buried in Kleinburg Cemetery, Ontario, Canada
